Wheat growing contest

Press, 15 January 1982, Page 9

Wheat growing contest

wheat growers will have a chance to measure their skills over the coming season. Due to start in March is “Wheat 82.'' the first of a planned series of national wheat growing competitions. This year's competition will be held at Lincoln College. where each entrant will be given a half-hectare piece of land. On it they will be able to grow any registered wheat cultivar, and manage it as they think best. Seed, fertiliser, chemicals, and fuel will be provided along with a machinery pool, but inputs will be costed for each entrant, and in the end the winner will be the farmer whose profitability, at the current wheat prices for the 1983 harvest, is the best.

The competition has the backing of Federated Farmers, the Wheat Board, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the North Canterbury Agricultural Merchants Federation, and the D.5.1.R.. as well as Lincoln College.

According to the chairman of the organising committee. Mr D. Crabb, the competition will be a significant development over past ones in the same field. "For a start with all farmers operating in the same paddock rather than on their own farms there'll be a chance to really measure their efficiency without the influence of climate or different soils.

“And right through, from the choice of variety to the timing of harvesting and setting the combine, it will be the farmers’ decisions that count. It will be a real test of the most profitable way of growing wheat. That's why we'll be measuring it on net returns rather than yields alone." he said. There have been a lot of recent developments in wheat growing involving machinery, management, and chemicals, Mr Crabb said, and the interest in returns these have brought about deserve to be measured in some sort of competition. It

will provide a forum for innovative farmers to test the best new ideas, and show up possibilities for more cautious ones to trv out.

The competitors’ will be able to add to the basic chemicals and fertilisers provided. and use their own machinery if they choose, but all operations will be recorded in the cost schedule that will make up net returns.

Because of travelling distances. competitors in the first competition will probably come from Canterbury, but’ the organisers are looking for as big a range of home locations and interests as possible. They hope to base future competitions in other parts of New Zealand.

Over the season, the development of the crops will be monitored and made public for the interest of farmers — but without infringing the confidentiality of the decisions the entrants make about their crops. The highlight here will be field days to be held at ear

emergence stage, probably early December. These will provide a chance for anyone to have a look at progress to that lime.

As well, the sponsors — companies providing the seed, chemicals, and other inputs — will be able to show their wares.

Wheat quality will not be measured in the competition but there will be an additional contest to take account of that. The Wheat Board and Wheat Research Institute are drawing up a subsidiary competition to look at a sample of each grower's crop for qualityalone. They will award a prize for that, and as Mr Crabb noted, it may well not go to the grower’ with the highest returns.

Farmers interested in finding out more about the competition should contact “Wheat 82.” Rural Development and Extension Centre. Lincoln College. Canterbury. Entries will close on March 1.